Olive tree basketry (<em>Olea europaea</em> L<em>.</em>): Description of objects and traditional rod selection in a contemporary collection

Abstract

Wild and cultivated olive trees are characteristic of the Mediterranean ecosystems and landscapes. They constitute an agricultural forest resource which has been deeply rooted in the Mediterranean culture, lifestyle and economy for millennia. Among numerous applications of olive trees, basketry is the only use that has not yet been systematically studied, and therefore, today, the use of olive tree wood for basketry is still quite unknown. This type of basketry is made after the branches are pruned from the trunk, applying specific techniques that require knowledge of the phenology, as well as the biological and reproductive cycle of the olive tree. The aim of our research has been to document the traditional knowledge about olive tree basketry in all its aspects, conducting field research and ethnobotanical interviews with 74 informants from 41 towns in southern Spain. Due to the scarcity of artisans and finished products, we focused on analysing a reference collection of 138 pieces kept at the Botanical Garden of Córdoba, manufactured by a local craftsman with expert knowledge about the whole process. This set is perhaps the only well-preserved collection of basketry made exclusively from olive tree wood in existence. Our work has, therefore, contributed towards safeguarding a significant heritage that might otherwise have been lost. Moreover, such a large amount of ethnobotanical and ecological information rooted in the past has considerable current scientific and cultural value.